But what concerned me even more was the one on Ellen Burstyn turning down the role Louise Fletcher eventually played in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest:

But Fletcher wasn’t the first choice for the part; it was actress
Ellen Burstyn, who has gone on to have a long and successful career on
the stage and screen. Interestingly, Burstyn and Fletcher look similar,
so it makes sense that the studio went to Fletcher after Burstyn turned
down the part. Unfortunately, Burstyn cites this as the biggest regret
of her career:

“I probably should have taken One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s
Nest. I was offered the Nurse. It was a mistake, but I was spending a
lot of time in mental wards at the time with my sick husband, and I
didn’t wanna go work in one.”

It’s a good enough reason to have turned down the role, obviously,
but Fletcher won an Academy Award for her turn in Cuckoo’s Nest. Chances
are that – had she taken on the iconic character – Burstyn might have
ended up receiving the same accolade. D’oh!

I question Nurse Rachet being an iconic role -- where's Fletcher now?

She's still acting but, except for The Cheap Detective, she's never had a major role in a film worth watching.

By contrast Bursytn makes films and TV shows non-stop and has been outstanding in the last ten years in films such as W. and TV shows such as Political Animals.

But here's the thing, Burstyn might have gotten an Oscar for Cuckoo?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But the writer seems unaware that Burstyn has an Oscar. She won for Best Actress. For the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

It's not a minor film.

And I'd argue the role was and remains iconic.

And she has five other Oscar nominations. And she has five Emmy nominations (with two wins).

Friday, October 30, 2015. Chaos and violence continue, Canada's war
planes have apparently bombed Iraqi civilians again, the Ashraf
community is again attacked, the heavy rains have returned, and much
more.

In Iraq, there's been another attack on Iranian dissidents.

UNHCR issued the following statement:

UNHCR statement on today's attack on vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, including Camp Liberty, in Iraq

News Stories, 29 October 2015

UNHCR strongly condemns today's rocket attacks in the vicinity of
Baghdad International Airport, which have also hit adjacent Camp
Hurriyet (Camp Liberty), reportedly causing injuries to dozens of people
of concern and some 20 deaths.Camp Liberty is home to around 2,200 people of concern to the Office.
The authorities have evacuated the injured to Baghdad hospitals. The
full extent of the casualties and damage to the camp is still being
ascertained."This is a most deplorable act, and I am greatly concerned at the
harm that has been inflicted on those living at Camp Liberty," said High
Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. "Every effort must continue
to be made for the injured and to identify and bring to account those
responsible."The residents of Camp Liberty previously lived at Camp Ashraf.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

Adrian Edward in Geneva, on mobile +41 79 557 9120

Ariane Rummery in Geneva, on mobile +41 79 200 7617

This attack was on the Ashraf community. Background: As of September
2013, Camp Ashraf in Iraq is empty. All remaining members of the
community have been moved to Camp Hurriya (also known as Camp Liberty).
Camp Ashraf housed a group of Iranian dissidents who were welcomed to
Iraq by Saddam Hussein in 1986 and he gave them Camp
Ashraf and six other parcels that they could utilize. In 2003, the US
invaded Iraq.The US government had the US military lead negotiations
with the residents of Camp Ashraf. The US government wanted the
residents to disarm and the US promised protections to the point that
US actions turned the residents of Camp Ashraf into protected person
under the Geneva Conventions. This is key and demands the US defend the
Ashraf community in Iraq from attacks. The Bully Boy Bush
administration grasped that -- they were ignorant of every other law on
the books but they grasped that one. As 2008 drew to a close, the Bush
administration was given assurances from the Iraqi government that they
would protect the residents. Yet Nouri al-Maliki ordered the camp
repeatedly attacked after Barack Obama was sworn in as US President. July 28, 2009
Nouri launched an attack (while then-US Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates was on the ground in Iraq). In a report released this summer
entitled "Iraqi government must respect and protect rights of Camp Ashraf residents,"
Amnesty International described this assault, "Barely a month later,
on 28-29 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed into the camp; at
least nine residents were killed and many more were injured. Thirty-six
residents who were detained were allegedly tortured and beaten. They
were eventually released on 7 October 2009; by then they were in poor
health after going on hunger strike." April 8, 2011,
Nouri again ordered an assault on Camp Ashraf (then-US Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates was again on the ground in Iraq when the assault
took place). Amnesty International described the assault this way,
"Earlier this year, on 8 April, Iraqi troops took up positions within
the camp using excessive, including lethal, force against residents who
tried to resist them. Troops used live ammunition and by the end of
the operation some 36 residents, including eight women, were dead and
more than 300 others had been wounded. Following international and
other protests, the Iraqi government announced that it had appointed a
committee to investigate the attack and the killings; however, as on
other occasions when the government has announced investigations into
allegations of serious human rights violations by its forces, the
authorities have yet to disclose the outcome, prompting questions
whether any investigation was, in fact, carried out." Those weren't
the last attacks. They were the last attacks while the residents were
labeled as terrorists by the US State Dept. (September 28, 2012, the designation was changed.) In spite of this labeling, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed that "since 2004, the United States has considered the residents of
Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva
Conventions." So the US has an obligation to protect the residents.
3,300 are no longer at Camp Ashraf. They have moved to Camp Hurriyah
for the most part. A tiny number has received asylum in other
countries. Approximately 100 were still at Camp Ashraf when it was
attacked. That was the second attack of 2013. February 9th of 2013, the Ashraf residents were again attacked, this time the ones who had been relocated to Camp Hurriyah. Trend News Agency counted 10 dead and over one hundred injured. Prensa Latina reported, " A rain of self-propelled Katyusha missiles hit a provisional camp of
Iraqi opposition Mujahedin-e Khalk, an organization Tehran calls
terrorists, causing seven fatalities plus 50 wounded, according to an
Iraqi official release." They were attacked again September 1, 2013 -- two years ago. Adam Schreck (AP) reported back then that the United Nations was able to confirm the deaths of 52 Ashraf residents.

This is a travesty, the latest attack.

The State Dept did respond with something more than their usual 'we call on both sides' b.s. They issued the following:

Press Statement

John Kerry

Washington, DC

October 29, 2015

The United States strongly condemns today’s
brutal, senseless terrorist attack on Camp Hurriya that killed and
injured camp residents. Our condolences go out to the families of the
victims, and we hope for the swift recovery of those injured.We have been in touch with senior Iraqi officials to ensure that the
Government of Iraq renders all possible medical and emergency assistance
to the victims. We also urge the Government of Iraq to provide
additional security for the camp’s residents and to find the
perpetrators and hold them accountable for the attack, consistent with
its obligations under the December 25, 2011 agreement with the United
Nations.We are consulting with the Government of Iraq to ascertain the full extent of this unprovoked attack.No matter the circumstances, on this point we remain absolute: the
United States remains committed to assisting the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees in the relocation of all Camp Hurriya residents to a
permanent and safe location outside of Iraq. We call on more countries
to assist in responding to this urgent humanitarian situation by
welcoming camp residents for relocation and by contributing to the fund
established by the United Nations to support their resettlement. The
Department, through its Senior Advisor for MEK Resettlement, will remain
actively engaged in the international effort to relocate the residents
of Camp Hurriya to safe, permanent locations as soon as possible.

The US government needed to make that statement and they need to do a
great deal more. This was addressed in the Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing of October 7th (covered in the October 10th snapshot). We'll note this exchange:

Senator Angus King: Several times you gentlemen used the term
"the US made assurances," the term "solemn promise,""guarantee," and
Col Martin, you mentioned a card. What did that card say? I'd like to
know specifically: what assurances were delivered, by whom and when?Colonel
Wesley Martin [Retired]: Yes, sir. This was the protected persons
status under the Geneva Convention. And I have a copy of it. If you
give me a second, I can find it real quick.Senator Angus King: Well I'd like to know what is says.Colonel Wesley Martin: Okay. Senator
Angus King: What I'm searching for here is what are the assurances
specifically and who delivered them and when. I think that's a fair
question given that seems to be the premise of this discussion.Colonel
Wesley Martin: "This card holder is protected person under the
agreement of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Should the assigned person"
uh, it's a little blurry "should an incident occur, we request that the
person contact the [US] military police brigade." And then it goes on
the agreement that they made: "You are being offered your release from
control and protection in exchange for your promise to comply with
certain regulations." And it clearly states they are protected, they
will not be -- they will not be arrested, they will not be harmed.

Senator Angus King: What did they have to do?Colonel Wesley Martin: And what they had to do, sir, is go ahead and sign an agreement --Senator Angus King: That's when they were moved from Ashraf to Liberty?

Colonel Wesley Martin: No, sir. That was a whole set of different
promises. If I may, sir, Senator McCain, [holding clipped stack of
papers], if I could, I'd like to make this submitted for the record.Senator Angus King: Well you can make it for the record but I want to know who made assurances -- Colonel Wesley Martin: Yes, sir.Senator
Angus King (Con't): -- and what those assurances were. And saying they
were protected person under the Geneva Convention isn't a promise that
the US will take you in. I just want to understand what the promise is
that we're being urged to honor.

Colonel Wesley Martin: Yes, sir. I understand. The first one is
they would be protected and they would remain at Camp Ashraf. That was
2004. That was with the US State Dept in agreement with the United
States Dept of Defense and [then-Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld
was the person that finally approved it -- but working with the State
Dept. The person that issued those cards, working with the Embassy, was
US Brigadier General David Phillips [. . .]

The US government made a promise and it has refused to honor it.

The Ashraf community could be resettled from Camp Liberty to outside Iraq in the blink of an eye.

At one point, John Kerry had tasked his friend with this assignment.

Despite holding the post for over a year, his friend didn't do anything but sit on his ass and collect a check.

Resettling less than 4,000 people does not require a year or even six months.

If the White House had the will, the desire, to resettle the Ashraf community, they would have been re-settled some time ago.

Struan Stevenson was a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to
2014 and is an advocate for the Ashraf community. Judy Chu is a member
of the US House of Representatives and has repeatedly spoken out on
behalf of the Ashraf community.

If more would join their voices, the Iraqi government might keep their
word to protect the Ashraf community until they can be resettled outside
of Iraq.

Staying with violence, Wednesday, the US Defense Dept announced the latest bombings in Operation Inherent Failure:

Airstrikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 13 airstrikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL weapons and staging areas.-- Near Mosul, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.-- Near Ramadi, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit
and destroyed an ISIL recoilless rifle, two ISIL rocket rails, eight
ISIL boats, two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL heavy machine gun,
suppressed an ISIL heavy machine gun, and denied ISIL access to terrain.-- Near Sinjar, three strikes destroyed 33 ISIL fighting positions.-- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL fighting position and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

Canadian fighter planes have now been connected to a second airstrike
in Iraq that has been reviewed by the Pentagon for possible civilian
casualties, CBC's the fifth estate has learned.

[. . .]

The
Pentagon review, conducted in December, looked at a joint
Canadian-Australian bombing raid on a "suspected weapons factory" in
Fallujah, Iraq, on Dec. 21 in which a woman and a child were seen on
video emerging from the site after the airstrike.

The
child was picked up by someone on a motorcycle and transported to
hospital. The woman lay down on the side of the road, according to an
internal Pentagon report obtained by the fifth estate.

This
is the second case of alleged civilian casualties linked to Canadian
bombers. The first, on Jan. 21 in Kisik in Northern Iraq, was dismissed
by the Canadian military as non-credible.

Bombs dropped on Iraq are not falling on empty acres. And these bombs
also are not 'smart' and able to distinguish civilians from the Islamic
State.

The bombs are killing people and, yes, people include civilians.

The suffering never stops for the Iraqi people.

Today, heavy flooding met with a lack of public services in Iraq to creating flood waters.

AFP grasps
the distinction between a misfortune due to an act of nature and the
injustice when people are harmed as a result of a government doing
nothing:

Torrential rain caused chaos across several parts of Iraq on
Thursday, with the water causing thigh-high flooding on some Baghdad
streets and damaging camps for the displaced.

The storm that hit Baghdad on Wednesday evening was unusually violent and the first after a long, dry summer.The
poor condition of infrastructure in Baghdad, the second largest city in
the region with an estimated population of more than eight million,
resulted in spectacular flooding.

Knee high flood waters in parts of Baghdad are not a result of nature, not a misfortune.

Wael Grace (Al Mada) reports
there is a current rush to restore the damns in southern Iraq to
prevent a repeat of last year's massive flooding. If Iraq had a real
leader -- and not Nouri al-Maliki -- these dams would have been restored
in the dry season and there'd be no mad dash, a year later, to fix what
should have already been addressed.

For eight years, Nouri had the chance to improve Iraq's public infrastructure by providing adequate sanitation and sewage.

Instead, his son has high priced digs in London and a fleet of sports cars.

This despite the fact that the only job the son's held has been the government job Nouri gave him.

But the al-Malikis live large as a result of all the funds stolen from the Iraqi people.

Heavy rains are a misfortune.

The standing water, the tent cities?

They're an injustice.

And the latest cholera epidemic?

Tie it into Nouri's refusal to do public works projects and deliver potable water to the people.

Again, an injustice.

The longer Haider al-Abadi is prime minister (he took the post in the fall of 2014), the more Nouri's failures become his own.

The Economist offers a look at Haider's 'accomplishments' and it's not pretty.

We'll note one section:

He took to Facebook to announce the opening to traffic of the Green
Zone, the chunk of central Baghdad the Americans turned into a
government enclave in 2003 and which has bunged up the capital ever
since. But he only opened a single one-way road, disrupted by so many
checkpoints that the old routes are still faster.

And, check the archives, we called that out -- and the press pretending something important was happening -- in real time.

The supposed-to-be skeptical western press has instead turned out to be the most gullible of all.